A vow and an oath

401. The Holy Luminary said to him, Hashem's oath is the Shechinah, the only daughter, CALLED 'HASHEM'S OATH.' It is not for naught that it was decided that three people are needed to release one FROM THE OATH; IT IS THE SECRET OF the letter Shin of Shabbat that three branches of THE LETTER SHIN IMPLY the THREE fathers, NAMELY CHESED, GVURAH, AND TIFERET, AND THE THICK LINE UNITES THE THREE BRANCHES OF THE BOTTOM. Thus, IT IS an only daughter CALLED shevuah (lit. 'oath') as it joins THE THREE BRANCHES OF THE SHIN.

402. It is sure that an oath can only take effect on something of substance, but a vow can take effect even on an insignificant thing, and so it is established in the Mishnah. Furthermore, they said that a vow is superior to an oath in that the one uttering the oath swears by the King himself, DENOTING MALCHUT, whereas a vow is considered making the vow by the Life of the King, DENOTING BINAH FROM WHENCE LIFE IS DRAWN, NAMELY MOCHIN, TO MALCHUT.

403. The Faithful Shepherd replied, Head Rabbis of the Yeshivas. I am certain that you are well aware of THE TOPIC OF OATHS AND VOWS. However, He who renews daily the act of creation will make us aware of new insights, for though Kohelet said, "And there is nothing new under the sun" (Kohelet 1:9) DENOTING ZEIR ANPIN, above the sun there is. Regarding the secrets of Torah, I wish to say that from "For Hashem Elohim is a sun and shield" (Tehilim 84:12), it IS TO BE INFERRED THAT HE ILLUMINATES AND SHIELDS EVEN BELOW THE SUN. THIS IS TRUE in His world, MEANING THE WORLD OF ATZILUT, but not in the Common world, MEANING THE THREE WORLDS OF BRIYAH, YETZIRAH, AND ASIYAH, WHICH CONTAIN KLIPOT, THAT DENY HIS UNITY. This is so even though "Elohim has made the one as well as the other" (Kohelet 7:14), MEANING THAT THE KLIPOT ARE ALSO THE WORK OF ELOHIM. For from darkness, WHICH IS THE KLIPOT, emanates light, WHEN PEOPLE OVERCOME THEM. THIS IS UNTIL THEY ARE CONSIDERED AS COMMON WORLD, AND THE LIGHT OF THE SUN, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN OF ATZILUT, DOES NOT EXTEND TO SHIELD THEM.

404. Most certainly, the world to come, being Binah, is above the sun, being the middle pillar, DENOTING ZEIR ANPIN. Thus, vows stemming from there surpass the oaths and take effect even in insignificant matters. An oath is considered of this world, DENOTING MALCHUT, which survives only through Yesod, as the verse writes, "but the righteous is an everlasting foundation" (Mishlei 10:25), SO IT CAN ONLY TAKE EFFECT ON A MATTER OF SUBSTANCE.

405. WITHIN YESOD are oaths made, as it is written, "as Hashem lives, lie down until the morning" (Rut 3:13). "LIVES" IS CALLED 'YESOD,' as the lower Shechinah is called the 'western wall,' BEING MALCHUT, His dwelling, being the mount (Heb. tel, Tav Lamed) which all turn to. The WALL (HEB. KOTEL) IS SPELLED Caf-Vav Tav-Lamed - Yud Hei Vav Hei, DENOTING ZEIR ANPIN, NUMERICALLY equals Caf-Vav. And surely the Shechinah is the mound (Heb. tel) OF ZEIR ANPIN based on the verse, "his locks (Heb. kevutzotav) are wavy (Heb. taltalim) and black as the raven" (Shir Hashirim 5:11). It was established that every tip (Heb. kotz) of any letter contains heaps (Heb. tel) of rules. The Dalet of 'one '(Heb. echad, Aleph-Chet-Dalet) is a hill that all turn to, DENOTING MALCHUT. This tip OF THE DALET THAT DIFFERENTIATES IT FROM THE RESH FORM, WHICH DENOTES YESOD, is caught between the Aleph and Chet of the word echad, DENOTING ZEIR ANPIN, and the Dalet of echad, DENOTING MALCHUT. THUS THE VERSE, "for all that is in heaven and on earth" (I Divrei Hayamim 29:11); as Targum Yonatan reads, 'it is caught between heaven and earth,' MEANING THAT "ALL" IS ANOTHER NAME FOR YESOD, AND IT IS HELD BETWEEN ZEIR ANPIN, REFERRED TO AS 'HEAVEN,' AND MALCHUT, REFERRED TO AS 'EARTH.'

406. Upon it, YESOD, have the masters of the Mishnah stated in Tractate Chagigah: "...on what does the world stand?" On one pillar whose name is Righteous, MEANING YESOD, or as it is written, "But the Righteous is an everlasting foundation," surely it is the covenant in the oath, DENOTING MALCHUT. Upon this pillar stands Aleph-Chet and Dalet, which are heaven and earth, as it is written, "If My covenant be not day and night, it would be as if I have not established the ordinances of heaven and earth" (Yirmeyah 33:25). Aleph-Chet point to heaven, as it is written, "Then hear you IN heaven" (I Melachim 8:32), WHICH REFERS TO ZEIR ANPIN, and Dalet points to earth as the verse reads, "and the earth is my footstool" (Yeshayah 66:1), DENOTING MALCHUT.

407. And since the covenant, DENOTING YESOD, is held between heaven and earth, DENOTING MALE AND FEMALE, and contains an oath, BEING MALCHUT, where the verse reads, "As Hashem lives, lie down until the morning," SO AN OATH IS DEPENDENT UPON YESOD, REFERRED TO AS 'LIVING.' One who swears by His Name falsely is considered like one who demolishes the construction of heaven and earth, and restores the world to void and formlessness. When man removes the tip, BEING YESOD, from the Dalet of echad, BEING MALCHUT, what remains is an other (Heb. acher, Aleph Chet Resh) namely Samael - REFERRED TO AS 'THE OTHER,' in whose place abides falsehood. This can be compared to building heaven and earth on a base of falsehood. Truth prevails; falsehood cannot, as it must become void. As such he has demolished the structure and caused the fall of heaven and earth.

408. This one, WHO SWEARS FALSELY, is like the verse "He threw earth from the heavens, the glory (Heb. tiferet) of Yisrael" (Eichah 2:1). HE ASKS, Who placed earth in heaven so that it could be cast out from there? HE ANSWERS, It points to the Shechinah, CALLED 'EARTH,' and Tiferet, CALLED 'HEAVEN' (HEB. SHAMAYIM) is with her, as it did not part from her EVEN at her downfall. This concept is found in the verse "Hashem is My Name and My glory, I shall give to another" (Yeshayah 42:8). How do we know that truth, DENOTING ZEIR ANPIN, fell with her - as it is written, "and it cast down the truth to the ground" (Daniel 8:12). SO WE SEE THAT WHICH CAUSES THE FALL OF MALCHUT LIKEWISE CAUSES THE FALL OF ZEIR ANPIN, AND SO HE WHO SWEARS FALSELY CAUSES THE DOWNFALL OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. One who swears truthfully fulfills the verse, "Truth will spring out of the earth" (Tehilim 85:12), THE INITIALS OF WHICH SPELL OUT EMET ('TRUTH'), which is the middle pillar - MEANING ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED 'TRUTH' upon which stands the structure, as written, "Elohim created the" (Beresheet 1:1), THE LAST LETTERS OF WHICH SPELL OUT EMET. Then the verse continues, "the heaven and the earth," SO WE SEE THAT THE STRUCTURE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH IS BASED ON TRUTH.

409. As the oath is the edifice of this world, MALCHUT, it having no continuity without Yesod, which is a matter of substance, a vow, alluding to the world to come, BINAH, supersedes the oath and can take effect even on matters lacking substance, AS in order to prevail, BINAH does not require Yesod, the male organ which pertains to marital relations. For IN THE FIRST THREE SFIROT, CHOCHMAH DOES NOT NEED CHASSADIM WITH WHICH TO BE CLOTHED, AS ALSO MENTIONED EARLIER. Hence, on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), signifying the World to Come, BINAH, FOR which the prayer Kol Nidre (lit. 'all the vows') was composed - AS THE VOW STEMS FROM BINAH - prohibits marital relations, AS THE MATING OF YESODOT IS NOT PRACTICED IN BINAH, AS INDICATED.

410. There, IN BINAH, the letter of the Covenant, Yud - MEANING YESOD OF BINAH is the crown of the Torah scroll, namely the righteous, DENOTING YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, as explained. In the World to Come there is no eating, drinking, and no marital intercourse, but only righteous people sitting, with their crowns on their heads.

411. And since there can be no use made in this world, NAMELY MALCHUT, with the crown - BEING THE CROWN ON THE HEAD OF THE RIGHTEOUS, PRACTICED ONLY WITH BINAH - so the masters of the Mishnah have announced that all who make use of the crown shall depart FROM THIS WORLD. The crown in this world is below YESOD AND NOT AT THE HEAD OF THE RIGHTEOUS. The vowels are to be used by the letters. However, in the world to come, BEING BINAH, there will be no use of the letters, WHICH INSINUATE MALE AND FEMALE. Hence, in the Torah scroll, there are no vowels but crowns, DRAWN FROM BINAH, AND THEY ARE THE CROWN ON TOP OF THE LETTERS, BEING MALE AND FEMALE. So, he who makes use of a Torah scroll will depart THIS WORLD, and also one who makes use of one who studies Halachah, the Rabbis predicted, will die.

412. All the Yeshiva heads prostrated before him and said, Surely the Holy One, blessed be He, speaks through your mouth, and to Him do we bend. We realize from these words that no human being beside yourself could utter them. These prove the verse which testifies about you: "With him I speak mouth to mouth" (Bemidbar 12:8). Elijah must not be withheld from you, we must ask of the Holy One, blessed be He, to lower him to you, laden with riches and treasures for you.